Roasted Red Cabbage and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing

Having trouble achieving deeply flavored, crisp roasted cabbage at home? This Roasted Red Cabbage Salad with Chickpeas and creamy tahini dressing solves that. Roasting at 450°F gives caramelized edges and excellent texture. The salad combines crunchy roasted chickpeas, toasted walnuts, briny feta and green olives with bright parsley and a tangy, creamy tahini dressing. It works as a hearty make-ahead lunch or an impressive side dish — ready in under an hour and packed with plant protein and fiber.

Roasting red cabbage until it caramelizes brings out its natural sweetness and creates a satisfying contrast of tender interior and crisp, browned edges. When paired with spiced, crunchy chickpeas and a lemony tahini dressing, the result is a salad that feels substantial and full of flavor.

Notes from recipe testing

• For well-browned, roasted (not steamed) cabbage, place the pieces directly on a hot baking sheet and roast at high temperature. That contact with the hot pan encourages browning.
• Because the chickpeas roast alongside the cabbage, total oven time is a bit longer than for cabbage alone. That extended time crisps the chickpeas nicely.
• The dressing is creamy and bright: tahini, white wine vinegar and a touch of Dijon play well with the cabbage’s subtle sweetness. I found extra sweetener unnecessary after testing.
• Fresh parsley adds a big punch of color and flavor — I aimed for more than a modest amount to keep the salad lively and green.

Let’s make it

If you haven’t roasted cabbage much before, this recipe is a great introduction. The technique is simple but delivers dramatic flavor and texture that might convert you into a cabbage fan.

As a registered dietitian, I also appreciate that red cabbage contributes vitamin K and vitamin C to this dish — another reason to keep it on regular rotation.

Please share feedback if you try this — I love hearing how recipes turn out in home kitchens.

Description

This hearty Roasted Red Cabbage Salad with Chickpeas and tahini dressing is roasted at 450°F for concentrated, caramelized flavor and great texture. It features roasted, spiced chickpeas for crunch, toasted walnuts for richness, briny feta and Castelvetrano-style olives for savory balance, and plenty of fresh parsley to brighten the plate. The creamy tahini dressing adds tang and silkiness while white wine vinegar and a little Dijon provide lift. The finished salad works well warm or at room temperature, makes a generous batch (about 5–6 cups depending on cabbage size), and stores well in the fridge for several days.

Ingredients

• 1 small to medium head red cabbage, cored and chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 2 lb)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, divided
• ½ tsp Aleppo pepper flakes (or ¼ tsp red pepper flakes; omit for no heat)
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and well dried with a towel
• 2 tsp sumac (optional but highly recommended)
• ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped (packed)
• ¼ cup feta, crumbled
• ¼ cup Castelvetrano-style olives, pitted and chopped

For the dressing:

• 3 tbsp well-stirred tahini
• 1 ½ tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp pure maple syrup
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• Pinch black pepper
• 3 tbsp water, or more to thin

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Position one rack in the middle and one below. Place an extra-large sheet pan in the oven to warm and have another standard baking sheet ready.
2. Put the chopped cabbage in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp kosher salt, garlic powder and Aleppo pepper; toss to coat. Carefully remove the hot baking sheet and spread the cabbage in an even layer with minimal overlap. Roast for 20 minutes.
3. While the cabbage starts roasting, add the well-dried chickpeas to the same mixing bowl. Toss with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp kosher salt and the sumac. Spread the chickpeas on the standard baking sheet and place it on the lower rack in the oven about five minutes after the cabbage went in.
4. After 20 minutes, toss the cabbage and shake the chickpeas, then roast another 15 minutes. Toss once more, then sprinkle the chopped walnuts onto the chickpeas and roast 5 more minutes. The cabbage is ready when many pieces are nicely caramelized; roast a bit longer if you prefer deeper browning.
5. While the vegetables roast, whisk the dressing in the large mixing bowl: combine tahini, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, minced garlic, Dijon, salt and pepper until smooth. Whisk in water a tablespoon at a time until the dressing reaches a pourable consistency.
6. Once the cabbage and chickpeas are finished, add them to the bowl with the dressing along with the walnuts, parsley, olives and crumbled feta. Toss gently to combine, taste and adjust seasoning (a bit more salt often helps). Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Equipment

Extra-large sheet pan and one standard baking sheet; large mixing bowl; whisk.

Notes

If you don’t have sumac, you can omit it or substitute a pinch of smoked paprika plus a little lemon zest. Sumac adds a tangy brightness that I use often, but the salad still works without it.